Thwarted Ambitions

I am relieved that Blair was not crowned European president this week.

For pro-federalist Europeans, Blair would have been an absolutely brilliant President. He would have lent a new kind of credibility to the European project and, I think, would probably have succeeded in drawing Britain into fully embracing Europe. Within a few years we would have adopted the Euro and in a short time our independence would have gone forever - spun away by Blair.

For those people who worked to undermine Blair's ambitions of becoming President it has been a very significant week. I have a limited idea of what went on behind the scenes, but I can imagine there must have been a huge effort going on to prevent Blair achieving his objective.

So it's strange that it hasn't even been the biggest news story of the week - perhaps in itself a reflection of the real impact of this outcome.

If Blair had been crowned this week, it would have been an entirely different story - and the news would have been wall to wall. Millions and millions and millions of people around the world would have seen pictures of Blair as European President and would have immediately seen Europe as a comparable entity to the USA. And as that notion took solid form in many millions of minds, the reality would surely have followed.

It would have been, on the surface at least, an appealing vision. President Blair on the Whitehouse lawn, meeting the Chinese - travelling the world on Blairforce 1. But scrape away the surface veneer and you would see Europe as we know it - initiative sapping, over-bearing, dictatorial, corrupt and completely un-democratic.

But if the Blair image, personality and presence had been draped over this hideous monstrosity. It would have created a compelling illusion with global reach - and beneath this obscuring vision the monster would have been fully created in it's full horrifying form.

So this week was a very, very significant. And those people who undermined Blair's ambitions by analysing his motives, understanding his ambitions and communicating, in the right way, to the right people, at the right time, truly changed the world.

It's one of those rare occasions when the plot of what will now be the counter factual history of this period, seems more real than the future that can now be created. Inevitability was overturned. A new history was made. A new destiny can now be forged.

Because, this week, the seemingly unstoppable momentum of the European superstate freight-train suddenly, unexpectedly, went off the rails. There were no showers of sparks, screams and explosions. It just flipped off the rails. Many didn't notice, and still haven't noticed that it's gone.

Instead of the fearsome, corrupt federal superstate with the enigmatic grinning world leader, Europe now has a leader that far more accurately reflects what it is - surely the name Herman van Rumpey must be a joke.

And for Britain, the thwarting of Blair's ambitions is probably as significant in historic terms as the Battle of Britain. In fact we probably have just won the Battle for Britain and can now feel emboldened by this early victory in the war, that we have to fight, to once again overthrow a European tyrany.

So gratitude is due to those whose timely, subtle efforts thwarted Blair's ambition - this week your efforts literally changed the World.

Much is owed by many to a few.